


Women Of Alma Torran

by Arba710



Series: remnants af a forgotten era [1]
Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alma Torran Arc, Character Death, F/M, Family Loss, Friends to Enemies, Implied Sexual Content, Jealousy, Loss, Love, Lyric-inspired, Original Character(s), References to the last few chapters of Sinbad No Bouken, Religious Fanaticism, Slight Canon Divergence, Some Religious Ranting, Spoiler Alert - Freeform, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-06 06:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15189269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arba710/pseuds/Arba710
Summary: Nobody who has ever lost something important to them can relate to the pain of loss: be it the loss of a child, the loss of a lover, the loss of god or the loss of a bright future ahead of you – it is all the same kind of pain in the end. The women of Alma Torran have all lost Love in a different painful way but suffered equally – yet no one acknowledges their sacrifice.





	1. I. Falan

**Author's Note:**

> [ ... Love of children. Love of humanity. Love of God. Love of a partner. All of them have a different shape but all of them is the same in the end. It's about sensitivity, it's about passion - it's about unconditional giving of self to another person ... ]
> 
> [ ... when you find the perfect match, that compatibility results in passion - results in unconditional giving of self ]
> 
> – The Carters [ Intro to Black Effect ]

 

 **"Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes 'round in another form."** \- _unknown_

_._

_._

_._

The man with hair white as snow takes her delicate hand in his calloused, larger one as he goes down to kneel before her.

"Will you marry me?" he says rather bashful as he scratches the back of his head in discomfiture with everyone watching him.

Falan's gem green eyes are wide as her beloved slides a golden ring on her left ring finger. "Umm ... it's, like umm ... I will, I guess?." she says more dumbstruck than ever before in her life. "Yeah, I will." the magician confirms as Wahid looks up at her with an awkward expression on his face.

" _Aww_ \- this's so romantic." a twelve year old Sheba swoons over her fellow magician's proposal to his chosen one, bringing both hands to her face and nodding in approval. "I wish something like this will happen to me someday."

"It sure will." a tall brunette woman endorses the pinkette, smiling at her kindly.

"As if someone will ever want to marry a pesky girl like you." Solomon states as he looks at the young girl out of the corner of his sapphire eyes.

"What was that you jerk - "

"Children, please don't fight." Arba sighs as she keeps Sheba from hitting the boy with her staff. "The two of you really should learn how to behave yourselves. You need to grow up; you're not little kids anymore."

"Of course they are, Arba." Wahid chuckles. "Just let them behave as such."

Being carried bridal style in her betrothed arms, Falan remarks: "Solomon sure isn't a kid anymore. He's like, seventeen."

"What's that talk about kids anyway?" Ithnan laughs. "Go and make some."

Setta nods his head in affirmation. "He has a point; it's not like natural conception happens often. In fact it is indeed quite rare."

A stifled laugh escapes Lamia's mouth as she smacks a red-faced Ugo on the back. "Yah, I'm with Ithnan. They should really bring it on, shouldn't they Ugo?"

"I guess so ..."

It is a wide smile that forms on Falan's lips as she watches her friends and fellow magicians being happy for her.

.

.

.

"Whoa, so it's a _real_ pregnancy." Sheba gapes as he puts an ear to Falan's round stomach. "I've never seen that before, _ever_."

"It's indeed." Wahid confirms proudly, wrapping an arm around his woman's shoulders.

"Well, Sheba you see ... it was a little magic here and there to help me conceive but it's like a real pregnancy in the end." Falan tells the pink-haired girl.

The red-head's husband nods his head complacently before glancing at her sideways. "Wait, what did you just tell her?!"

Sheba looks at both of them with wide eyes.

"Look, Sheba. It's rather seldom that a child is born into this world instead of being created with the help of magic." Lamia lectures the girl with closed eyes and an erect index finger. "Falan and Wahid made love - quite a few times I guess and used a little magic - to make a baby the natural way."

"Oh, I see. Do you think I will be able to do that too one day?" Sheba asked, magenta-colored eyes shining brightly

"Well, you see it's not that - "

"Of course you will." Arba tells the young girl, interrupting the other woman and casting a warning glance at her. "You're still a child but in a few years this will be no problem with the help of the right man."

"Is this the sex talk you're supposed to give to a kid?" Ithnan frowns as he watches the pinkette living up to her hair color.

"I'm positive it is. It's not that Sheba is, like too young to know about these things." Falan says, patting the girl's head.

"I definitely agree, Falan." Arba says while she looks in Solomon's direction.

.

.

.

Tess looks nothing like his mother - he looks everything like her; the same emerald eyes, the same ginger hair and the exact same beautifully small nose that goes to the sky every time he speaks. He has his wife's beauty and confidence and it makes Wahid the most proud father in the whole wide world.

"Mama, Papa why can't I go with you?" the five year old sulks. "It's not like I'm a child. I can use magic myself - you've seen how good I am, haven't you?"

"Of course we have, Tess. But it's like - "

"Mum and Dad have to go to work." Wahid interrupts his wife. "You're a little young for that, you see."

"Fine but next time I go with you, right?" he smiles brightly up as his parents.

"Sure you will!" Ugo tells the boy before his parents have had the chance to do so. "We'll surely need you next time."

"Yup, Ugo's right." Sheba confirms with her trademark bright smile.

Solomon casts a worried glance at Lamia, Arba and Ithnan who all look down to the ground in something resembling sad disbelief.

.

.

.

The boy's skin is charred and burnt to the point of no recognition as Falan holds her son in her arms.

"Mama, Papa ... it's so hot ... please help me, I'm so scared." Tess still manages to whisper before he finally departs.

She screams at the top of her lungs, cursing Il Illah and Elder David and every higher being above and even her husband's embrace cannot keep her from claiming she wants to die. And she begs to be killed because losing a child is the most horrible thing that can ever happen to a mother.

Sheba clutches her own stomach while falling to her knees, almost fainting. Tears run down her cheeks, blurring her vision.

Arba rests her forehead against Lamia's shoulder, while the other woman observes the scene with narrowed crimson eyes, stroking the brunette's head in an apathetic gesture.

.

.

.

Falan does not know how long it has been since she lost her beloved son but the young king Ceylan of Parthevia is everything that keeps her longing to still exist in this godless world. With Il Illah gone and only Ithnan, Lamia and the organization run by the fatally religious brunette bitch at her side for almost more than ten centuries, she has finally found love for a child again. He does not exactly look like Tess but the feeling when embracing the boy is the same nonetheless.

"This time, I'll protect you, Tess. This time no one will ever take you away from me."

.

.

.

Falan - just like Arba, Lamia and Ithnan - has sensed Sinbad's radiant rukh the day he was born into this world. But who would have ever expected that he is Elder David's reincarnation?

The youth's ember eyes gleam a perilous red while he chases Falan up the staircase somewhere in a Parthevian building. Falan does not run for her own life but for the life her child. She wants - no needs to be a mother to him in this life because she has failed him in her last.

The love of god does not mean anything to her anymore because she has failed Il Illah, too. But who cares of a god's love when your own child means everything to you?

"I have to thank you, magician Falan of Alma Torran for resurrecting me with such evil methods." David says while possessing a young Sinbad. "But as it seems your and your fellow magician's attempts at bringing forth Il Illah in my stead has unfortunately failed. I'm afraid to tell you but this is the - "

Falan turns her head around while still running up the stairs to get to the son she has lost in another time and age, only to witness a familiar raven haired woman throwing herself at the possessed first class singularity before everything turns black.

.

.

.

When her gem green eyes fly open, she looks up into two familiar faces.

_"Mama!"_

Falan smiles before she bursts out into tears. This is everything she has ever wished for.

.

.

.

_[ Love of children ]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to search for an english translation of Chapter 176 of Sinbad no bouken because it is still only available in the raw version and the scans are transated only into spanish. But man, I felt so sorry for Falan - losing a child so gruesomly in the Alma Torran Arc and then dying like this in the Adventures of Sinbad Manga almost made me cry. At least now we know how she died. It's still a little sad, though.


	2. II. Arba

 

 

> **"There is no sinner like a young saint."** \- _Aprha Behn_
> 
> * * *
> 
>  
> 
> A tall man’s figure is the first thing her eyes fall upon has she wakes from something resembling a deep slumber.
> 
>  
> 
> “Welcome to this world, _Arba_.” a deep male voice speaks to her as he takes her hand to lead her into the light.
> 
>  
> 
> Her fingers curl around his calloused hand softly as she takes a step forward. She can feel the cool marble underneath her bare feet and a gentle chilly breeze surrounding her newly created body. Arba smiles up at the man before her. “You’re Elder David, my creator.” she says softly.
> 
>  
> 
> David nods his head in affirmation. “I assume you are aware why I created you.”
> 
>  
> 
> The smile on her lips remains a she closes her eyes. “Yes, I am here to serve.”
> 
>  
> 
> The Orthodox Church’s leader smirks complacently. “This proves it once again: despite having seen the light of day for the very first time in your life like a new born child, you already possess awareness and intellect way beyond the other species. You, Arba are a magician – an individual of the highest class among beings. Be proud of your lineage.”
> 
>  
> 
> The brunette’s smile becomes brighter, her light brown eyes more radiant. “I’m grateful – I’m grateful to you and our Father for being born into this world.”
> 
>  
> 
> David’s gaze wanders down the woman’s nude body to marvel at what he is capable of creating – a beautiful woman who wields a power equal to his own. Her existence confirms again what he has known from the very beginning: he is more than just a magician. He is a singularity, destined to achieve something greater, yet unbeknownst to him. But his eyes see things nobody else is able to perceive. Soon, destiny will reveal itself to him.
> 
>  
> 
> “Arba, you will serve my son well.” David says as he lifts both hands to cradle her face. “Be his mentor and guide him. Be his friend and support him.”
> 
>  
> 
> A single tear falls from Arba’s eye, rolling down her cheek and wetting David’s fingers. “I will, Elder David, I will.”
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> Arba refers to Solomon as young master whenever she speaks to him. She teaches him to read, teaches him magic and even trains him in combative swordplay. They get along quite well with each other, yet she needs to lecture him every now and then to pay his respect to Il Illah, their father who watches over them.
> 
>  
> 
> “Our Father is the one who bestowed us with great power, young master. You ought to worship Him more.” Arba says softly as she brushes the boys long midnight blue hair.
> 
>  
> 
> “I know that, Arba. It’s just that … well, sometimes I get the feeling that David’s dogma appears wrong to me. I don’t know how to put it into words properly but considering other species inferior to us magicians feels just kind of unreasonable.” a nine year old Solomon tells her.
> 
>  
> 
> Arba frowns. She does not understand what is so wrong about David’s teachings when they are the truth. All the other creatures – the manticores, the gorgons, the hermits – are a race far inferior to magicians and even posed a threat in times when only a few selected human beings had been bestowed with magic by God. It is only natural to despise them.
> 
>  
> 
> What she does understand though is Solomon’s lack of emotional attachment to his father. David has never been a role model type of parent from the very beginning. He taught his son his doctrines – and that was about it.  
> 
>  
> 
> “Don’t doubt Solomon, just because Elder David doesn’t show you the love you deserve. After all he is a busy man. But Our Father and I are always there for you, supporting you in the best possible way we can.” Arba confirms while braiding the boy’s hair.
> 
>  
> 
> Solomon closes the book he is reading as he turns his head around to look at his friend. “You’ve always been the only one who supported me, Arba. You’re more like a parent to me than David can ever be.”
> 
>  
> 
> Her eyes widen in surprise but she understands. Solomon never had a mother from the very beginning. The woman gave her life for her son’s when she died soon after childbirth, leaving David with a boy to raise on his own.
> 
>  
> 
> Sometimes Arba wonders if David considers her a substitute for his late wife in more than just one way. The man has always been an enigma to her in that regard: she has never seen David shed a tear for her, has never even heard him talk about Solomon’s mother, yet he is gentle and almost loving when he calls Arba into his chambers to keep him company at night.
> 
>  
> 
> Arba also wonders if David treats the young woman he is so infatuated with lately the same way when she lies underneath him. It isn’t pleasant knowing one is replaceable when it comes to physical intimacies but jealousy – in Arba’s eyes - is a sin and that is why she refrains from giving in to it. Her only purpose is serving and supporting Solomon not David.
> 
>  
> 
> “I’m devoted to you.” Arba says as she puts a hand on Solomon’s shoulder. “And I will always be at your side – no matter what.”
> 
>  
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> Five magicians of the Orthodox Church notice something strange about David’s ideology – an impalpable evil that threatens to grab a hold of not only them but every other magician belonging to the cult.
> 
>  
> 
> Wahid. Falan. Setta. Ithnan. Ugo.
> 
>  
> 
> They all have noticed, except Arba and Lamia.
> 
>  
> 
> “Can’t you see that what David’s doing is just entirely wrong?” Solomon exclaims as he faces two perplexed women.
> 
>  
> 
> “I don’t really get your point, Solomon dear.” the black-haired woman says. “What’s so wrong about us being superior to the rest of them? I mean we are, are we not?”
> 
>  
> 
> “You’re blinded by David’s doctrine, Lamia. The other species have feelings, intellect and lives like every single one of us humans.”
> 
>  
> 
> “But we are not merely humans. We are granted power by Il Illah, which makes us magicians and indeed superior to the rest of any creature there is.” Lamia says, shrugging her shoulders.
> 
>  
> 
> “Young master, I’m afraid I have to agree with her. Every one of us is able to create, heal and destroy. What is there any one of the other species can do to benefit to our world?” Arba confirms.
> 
>  
> 
> “Do you think this is what Our Father really wants, Arba? Do you really believe he wants to enslave other species to benefit to our good? What sense would that make? Isn’t he benevolent, kind and loving of any other creature there is?” Solomon appeals to his tutor’s reason.
> 
>  
> 
> The scales fall from Arba’s eyes. Solomon is right – of course he is. David has always been an evil impostor who pretended to believe in their Father’s ways. Turning to Lamia, she tells her: “It’s you – since you came here, Elder David has been acting crueler than ever before. You don’t belong here: I’ve known from the start that you would only bring harm upon us.”
> 
>  
> 
> The other woman’s red eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, now you’re accusing me to be the evil one here? And if so, haven’t we both been deceived by David all this time, Arba dear?” Lamia says, shrugging her shoulders with her hands outstretched to both sides. “It’s not like I’m the only one he’s made _love_ to.”
> 
>  
> 
> A little bewildered, Solomon looks at Arba whose light brown eyes hold a large amount of shame. He does not know what to think of this, so he ignores it. “Arba, Lamia – I need both of you at my side. Join me in my undertaking to oppose David and his teachings. Let us prove him wrong, make him see. Along with the other’s let us create a resistance.” the twelve-year-old tells them.
> 
>  
> 
> “I will support you – no matter what.” Arba vows.
> 
>  
> 
> “You’ve always been a little brother to me, Solomon but this goes against my morals. I can’t betray Elder David.” Lamia sighs. “But then again it’ll sure be fun to see something different from these old geezers and those frigging towers.”
> 
>  
> 
> A bright smile graces the young magician’s lips. “Thank you.”
> 
>  
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> They cannot believe their eyes as they witness Arba piercing through David’s head with her staff, ripping it off like a fragile flower from its roots.
> 
>  
> 
> “Goodbye, Elder David.” she says, smiling down at the faceless corpse in her arms. She lays his body to the ground in the same gentle manner David has lain down hers on his bed so many times.
> 
>  
> 
> Her fellow magicians are speechless, staring at the brunette in wide-eyed awe. Little do they know how fierce Arba can become when being goaded.
> 
>  
> 
> “Arba once told me that she is a magician created by David. I’m sure that for Arba, David was also a fatherly figure. She must have held complex feelings for him, just like Solomon.” Sheba explains.
> 
>  
> 
> A low chuckle escapes Lamia’s mouth. “ _Complex feelings_ … that’s _perfectly_ true but they’ve never been the sort a child feels towards her father.”
> 
>  
> 
> Solomon casts a warning glance at the older woman. “Silence, Lamia. These things are of no relevance whatsoever.
> 
>  
> 
> “As you wish, my _king_.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Are you alright, Arba?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Yes, King Solomon.” she says, giving him a radiant smile. “I have served you all these years for this very moment after all.”
> 
>  
> 
> Furrowing his brows he remains silent.
> 
>  
> 
> “I see.” he says.
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> The young girl with pink hair has once been like a daughter to her but with Solomon gone and her beloved Father dead she cannot help the growing repulsion in her bruised heart.
> 
>  
> 
> Solomon killed God. The man she has served all her life killed what she loves the most. Forgiveness is beyond all question this time. It is in her nature to be clement and kindhearted but that particular kindness has a limit, too.
> 
>  
> 
> She has made enough sacrifices, she figures as she dons her winged headdress – Falan might have lost a child but she has lost God himself. What tragedy could be greater than this?
> 
>  
> 
> She approaches them with a sad smile on her face.
> 
>  
> 
> “What do you want, Arba?” Falan asks with a spiteful undertone in her voice.
> 
>  
> 
> Wahid wraps a strong arm around the petite female as if to protect her from one of the four great mages that serve King Solomon.
> 
>  
> 
> “Yeah, I wonder about that, too. What is it you want?” Wahid snarls at Arba.
> 
>  
> 
> Her sad smile remains when she reaches them. “My friends, I don’t mean you any harm. I’m here to – “
> 
>  
> 
> “Shut it. We’re not your friends anymore.” Wahid continues to shout at the brunette. “We’re not even equal anymore: you, Sheba, Ugo and Lamia have been bestowed with great power while the rest of us had their power stolen and divided among all people. So what the hell could you want from us, you zealotic bitch?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Wahid! Watch the way you talk to her – she’s still a fellow magician after all.” Falan says weakly.
> 
> “Wahid has a point. The four of them have become a higher species – a higher class of magicians at the _very_ least. They call them magi or sorcerers of creation.” Ithnan comments. “So, Arba why would a magi like you still feel the need to talk to us? You belong with the other magi and King Solomon, whom you’ve served from the first minute of your life.”
> 
>  
> 
> “You’ve always been his watchdog – listening to every word he says, obeying every command and defending every single one of his actions and decisions. You’re pitiful, Arba.” Wahid remarks.
> 
>  
> 
> “Don’t fret, my friends.” Arba says in a calm voice and with outstretched arms. “Solomon has become arrogant … _to kill our Father to become God himself –_ isn’t this the worst of all sins? I understand your feelings of suppressed hatred. I really do – and because of this I ask you Falan, Wahid, Ithnan to lend me your power to bring back our father: to resurrect him and make this world anew.”
> 
>  
> 
> Falan takes a step towards her. “But haven’t you always been like the most supportive of Solomon?” she asks. “This doesn’t sound like you at all.”
> 
>  
> 
> “It is because I have finally awoken. I can see things more clearly now – Solomon forced his own ideology upon us by replacing Il Illah. It’s an unforgivable sin he has committed. It’s the most grotesque form of blasphemy.” Arba explains to them. “Don’t you agree, Falan?”
> 
>  
> 
> The ginger haired magician considers the other woman’s words. “In fact I do – we all like do but …” she pauses. “How do we know we can trust you?”
> 
>  
> 
> “We can’t. She’s trying to lure us in by telling us what she thinks we want to here.” Wahid warns his wife and Ithnan. “There’s always been a darker side to Arba. She wasn’t devoted to David for a long time for nothing, believing in his ways, too. And she’s always been Solomon’s advocate – no matter how foolish or risky his decisions might have been. The bitch is lying – don’t trust her.”
> 
>  
> 
> “No …” Ithnan muses. “I think you’re missing something here this time, Wahid. Arba has been devoted to Solomon since the day he was born but if there is one person she’s even more devoted to, it’s God himself.”
> 
>  
> 
> A bright smile forms on Arba’s lips. “Solomon has betrayed all of us, has deprived us of our Father’s benevolence – he made all of us suffer, yet Sheba is too blind to see the wrong he has brought upon us. My friends – _let us prove her wrong, make her see; together, let’s create a resistance._ ”
> 
>  
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> “ _Why …?_ ” Sheba still manages to speak.
> 
>  
> 
> Arba kneels before the overthrown queen. “Why?” she repeats. “That should be obvious.” A twisted, yet gentle smile graces her lips as she reaches for the other woman’s headdress. “Queen Sheba … I only kept my promise – I served Solomon to the very end. I was his pillar of support in times he needed to be brutal and ferocious. And what is more brutal than to kill and replace God?” she whispers to Sheba. “I _loved_ the both of you. But my love for Il Illah surpasses everything.”
> 
>  
> 
> The black rukh swirls around her relentlessly as a she lets out a blood-curdling scream.
> 
>  
> 
> _“ **AHH, QUEEN SHEBA!** ”_
> 
> “Isn’t it pitiful how the arrogant king used her great faith in Il Illah so she turned blind and followed the false deity known as Solomon?!” Arba rants as tears fall from her eyes. “He cleverly manipulated this poor girl! King Solomon is a great sinner!”
> 
>  
> 
> A choir of magicians starts to chant a chorus for their fallen queen.
> 
>  
> 
> _“We pity you Queen Sheba!”_
> 
>  
> 
> Arba lowers herself to get a better look at the miserable state the young woman is in. “You can drop dead without worries because we, Al Thamen, will create a pure world, free from the prison known as destiny of a false god you worshipped.” she whispers scornfully, her face twisted into a dreadful sneer as she takes the staff from Sheba’s hand.
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> She has long gotten used to the pain of labor and giving birth. It has become normality to her, still it is a crucial part of every of her daughter’s life she leads for them. They are her livestock – existing only for the sole purpose of being their mother’s vessel so she can exist in this impure world created by the usurper named Solomon.
> 
>  
> 
> Her latest is another boy with jet black hair and blue eyes exactly like Gyokuen’s. It is her daughter’s forth child – a healthy, beautiful baby whose future is doomed from this moment on.
> 
>  
> 
> Kou’s Emperor Ren Hakutoku looks satisfied as he holds the child in his arms. “Again you gave me a wonderful son” the Emperor tells his wife. “His name shall be – “
> 
>  
> 
> “Hakuryuu.” Gyokuen declares as she casts a warning glance at her children’s begetter. “His name shall be Hakuryuu, _my love_.” she adds, her voice saccharine and artificial.
> 
>  
> 
> Naming her children is her right only: they are her property none of her many husbands were ever entitled to – and Hakutoku is no exception to that rule. It is not like he means a thing to Arba. The Emperor is just another man in a long line to help create her offspring.
> 
>  
> 
> Gyokuen stretches out her arms. “Give me my beautiful little Hakuryuu, darling. I want to hold him again.”
> 
>  
> 
> Hakutoku obeys his wife’s command and places the infant gently in her arms.
> 
>  
> 
> “Thank you, my darling.” she says artificially sweet before she focuses her attention on the newborn.
> 
>  
> 
> It is always the same curious feeling that overwhelms her when she looks at the child in her arms for the very first time. It is a feeling of nostalgia, of reminiscence of times long gone by.
> 
>  
> 
> Arba remembers holding Solomon like this.
> 
>  
> 
> She remembers holding her first like this.
> 
>  
> 
> The girl coming from her own, original body was almost a replica of herself – the same light brunette hair, the same warm brown eyes, the same gentle features. Arba remembers every details of her face, yet she has long forgotten the girl’s name.
> 
>  
> 
> Gyokuen shifts aside the fabric of her night gown, exposing her breast to latch on her latest achievement. She smiles down on Hakuryuu weakly – the boy is just another tool to her; an offering to her beloved God. 
> 
>  
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> What Arba hates the most in human being is wretchedness. And Falan is the most wretched and miserable person she knows.
> 
>  
> 
> The spiteful look in her fellow magician’s gem green eyes while carrying the two year old toddler on her hips as she enters the room bemuses but disgusts Arba at the same time.
> 
>  
> 
> “What’s with that look, Falan?” Gyokuen says in that revoltingly sweet voice of hers that hardly covers the mocking she wants the other woman to hear. “Do you want to hold him? You at least look like you want to. Come here he’s getting quite heavy, anyway.”
> 
>  
> 
> Falan replies nothing to that. She just keeps on staring at the woman with a disdainful look in her eyes.
> 
>  
> 
> “You’ve become such a wicked bitch, Arba.” Lamia comments with a humorless laughter. “What has she done to you to treat her that way?”
> 
>  
> 
> Gyokuen smirks viciously at the third woman who played a crucial role in the founding of Al Thamen. “That is none of your business, Lamia. Don’t you have your hands full with raising little Judar?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Maybe that is so.” she admits. “Still, that doesn’t keep me from pointing out what heartless bitch you’ve turned into. Maybe marrying, fucking, breeding, killing and then _repeat_ has made you gone crazy.”
> 
>  
> 
> A small mischievous smirk graces Falan’s lips.
> 
>  
> 
> Gyokuen narrows her blue eyes dangerously, her stare hard and focused. “I’m warning you – watch your insolent mouth. There is nothing that really keeps me from killing you.” she hisses as she rocks the boy clinging to her who is on the verge of crying.
> 
>  
> 
> “Do you really think you can strike me down as easily as Sheba? I don’t think so, _my dear_.” Lamia mocks.
> 
> “This is getting exhausting.” Ithnan complains, rubbing his temples with both index fingers. “ _Ladies_ , please stop bitching around like that. I don’t know for how many centuries this feud between the two of you has been going on but would you mind to at least shut up when the four of us come together like this?”
> 
>  
> 
> Gyokuen resumes her usual artificial demeanor as she casts a glance at the woman she despises ever since David had found her and took her in like a stray kitten from the gutter. “Of course my dear Ithnan but I’m not quite sure if my fellow magi is willing to behave herself.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Maybe she would if you learned how to act like a reasonable adult, Arba.” Falan remarks harshly.
> 
>  
> 
> Gyokuen chuckles darkly as she meets Falan’s hatred-filled gaze. “Look who’s talking. Aren’t you the one who simply can’t get over your loss? How long has it been since _he_ passed away, Falan? At some point, time _surely does heal all wounds_.”
> 
>  
> 
> “ _What do you know about losing a child_?” the redhead hisses, holding on to the staff in her hand so tightly her knuckles turn white. “The only thing you do is getting rid of your own when they are of no further use to you.” Falan has to fight to hold back the tears that dare to fall from her eyes.
> 
>  
> 
> “In order to accomplish something great, sacrifices are necessary.” Gyokuen says with utmost malice in her voice. “You’re pitiful, Falan. Instead of putting your strength into the goal we’re trying to accomplish you cling to the past, crying over the child that has been taken from you because of a king’s false believes. Convert your grief into hatred for the one who has overthrown God and contribute to Al Thamen’s agenda.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I can’t believe how cold you’ve become, Arba.” Falan says as the tears finally fall from her green eyes.
> 
>  
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> As the decades and centuries have passed, Arba’s affection for her offspring dwindled until none of it remained. Her Father was, is and will always be the only being she dedicates her love to.
> 
> But there is someone special among all the children her daughters have given birth to whose rukh is now tainted the same jet black as hers.
> 
>  
> 
> “ _Hakuryuu_.” Gyokuen says lovingly as her blue eyes fall upon her youngest and the magi at his side.
> 
>  
> 
> “Gyokuen, I’m here to kill you!” the boy declares. His eyes – the same as hers – hold such a large amount of hatred in them it makes her cry out in joy.
> 
>  
> 
> “Oh my darling son: look at what has become of you! I’m so proud.” she rants as she raises herself from her throne. “Come at me and show me how deep you’ve fallen.”
> 
>  
> 
> “The bitch is insane.” Judar comments with a frown on his face.
> 
>  
> 
> As she descents the stairs, her twisted smile grows larger. She has always prayed to Il Illah to bestow a child upon her whose determination equals her own. Hakuryuu’s resolve to kill her originates from broken trust, from large disappointment in another person who meant the world to him once. Arba knows the feeling all too well: all her life she has served Solomon and what did she get in return for it? Hakuryuu has loved his mother deeply, yet that love was only wasted on her.
> 
>  
> 
> A mother’s love has been stolen from the boy.
> 
>  
> 
> Her God’s love has been stolen from her.
> 
>  
> 
> They have much more in common than Hakuryuu could ever know. And maybe this tainted boy is a gift from her Father – a token that her efforts and worship have been acknowledged by Him.
> 
>  
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
>  
> 
> _[ Love of God ]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't understand how a kind woman like Arba turned into a downright evil bitch. Maybe this is what it means to be a zealot? :')


End file.
